At present we have 53 children in the ministry orphanage in Arusha. Children stay at the orphanage for kindergarten and then attend Eangasharanton Primary School, grades 1-7. We will have students at the primary school and at the orphanage kindergarten. Costs for the primary school run about $80 per year per student which includes a uniform, lunches and miscellaneous supplies. In addition, the ministry is responsible for buying their shoes and backpacks. Shoes vary depending on whether they are used or new but run about $15-20 per pair.

Starting in March 2018, we put backpacks on the container from Amazon at a cost of $16.83 each. These backpacks will be for the new school year starting in January 2019. Backpacks from the states are much better quality than in Tanzania and last longer. The new school year starts each January. At this time each student advances a grade and requires new uniforms and etc. We hope to get backpacks on the container every February/March for the following school year.

The salary for the CHO employees ranges between $48 and $72 per month depending on job description and responsibilities. These dedicated workers help coordinate the running of the orphanage, cook meals, wash clothes, bath children, take care of the cows and chickens, guard the orphanage campus and do general works.

Monthly support for CHO is $4,000. It cost about $880 per month to feed the children, $450 goes to salaries, about $550 for firewood and about $200.00 for soaps and hygiene supplies. There is food and medicine to buy for the cows and chickens as well as keeping the pens in good repair. About $600 is needed for operating expenses including office supplies, vegetable seeds, gasoline and car repairs. There are also school fees, doctor’s visits for the children and medicine to purchase. The children need two mosquito nets per year at the cost of $15-$25 per net. The rest goes towards miscellaneous expenses. We try to raise support for each child at $60 per month.

When the orphans finish 7th grade (there is no 8th grade) they are sent to Hebron Secondary School in Sakila as boarding students so they can finish high school. We have worked it out with the “Sakila Sponsorship Program” to allow them to stay there for $90 per month.

Currently we are sending $2,700.00 per month to support 30 orphans. This takes care of their schooling, books, backpacks, uniforms, shoes, hygiene needs, three meals a day and a dormitory to sleep in. They also receive $5,000 shillings (approx. $2.50) for spending money each month. There are other boarding students living in the dorms but their parents pay tuition and expenses for them to go to school there. We try to raise support for each Hebron orphan at $90 per month but not all students are fully supported and we are thankful for the extra that comes in to make up the difference.